Exploring the Surrealist Elements of The Bell Jar
Surrealism in The Bell Jar by Linden Peters When I was reading Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar, it's safe to say I sometimes felt confused. I wasn't sure if it was something in text or mid-February brain fog, but some passages felt hypnotic and unreal. After further analysis, I realized that implementing surrealist elements was likely an intentional decision made to put the reader closer to Esther's mental state. Merriam webster defines surrealism as "the principles, ideals, or practice of producing fantastic or incongruous imagery or effects in art, literature, film, or theater by means of unnatural or irrational juxtapositions and combinations". In the case of The Bell Jar, these techniques are often used to show alienation with the world and make the reader understand how mental disorder affects reasoning. Chapter 9 is the perfect example of this trippy style, where one scene fades into another ...